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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bass — low music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ball — a great time
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. stem — to come from
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com